'The loss against Pakistan in T20 WC caused India a lot of damage': Ex-PAK captain makes massive claim on Rohit and co.

The former Pakistan captain made a big claim on Team India as he referred to the side's 10-wicket loss to Babar Azam's men in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.

Team India will take on Pakistan in a blockbuster 2022 Asia Cup clash on August 28. This will be the first time when the two sides lock horns in men's cricket since the T20 World Cup match last year, when Babar Azam's side secured a comprehensive 10-wicket win over India. Pakistan had reached the semi-finals of the tournament where they faced a defeat to eventual champions Australia, while India bowed out in the group stages.

Since the global tournament, India saw a significant changes in its approach to the shortest format under new captain Rohit Sharma, but former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif believes that the huge 10-wicket defeat in the T20 WC clash did “a lot of damage” to the Indian team.

“I don't think the World Cup would be in their (India's) mind. They are taking it series by series, it's worth noting that teams are changing with every series. Their focus will be on the Asia Cup. The loss against Pakistan caused a lot of damage to the Indian team, so they are trying to recover from it,” Latif said on his official YouTube channel ‘Caught Behind’.

“You can play as many series as you want, but the match between India and Pakistan remains very important. I believe the Indian team, the board, the management will pay significant attention to the match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. They would want to win the Asia Cup, and if all the players are available for India, they can be favourites.”

The former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter further added that while India did dominate in the games between the two arch-rivals in recent past, the landslide victory in their last clash would give Babar Azam-led side a boost.

“The conditions in the UAE suit them. India will give their all in the game against Pakistan. They have dominated the clashes between both sides in the past 20 years, but Pakistan did win by 10 wickets in their last game. So the planning will go into it,” concluded Latif.